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Show two guide steps together (paired steps)

Updated Aug 30, 2026

Show two guide steps together (paired steps)

About This Feature​

Paired guide steps let two guide annotations appear together (or one right after the other, automatically) instead of the viewer having to click Next between them. Great when a single moment on a screen needs two callouts — a label on a field and a hint above the submit button, for example — that would otherwise interrupt the flow if they were separate clicks.

Snapshot 📸​

Feature Status: Guides Role Access: Admin, Editor Location: Editor → guide step → Display trigger

How pairing works​

Every guide step has a Display trigger that decides when it appears:

  • On click (default) — the step waits for the viewer to click Next, the same as any guide step today.
  • With the previous step — the step appears at the same time as the step above it. Both annotations are on the canvas together; the viewer clicks Next once to advance past the pair.
  • After the previous step — the step appears automatically after the previous one, with a short pause, without waiting for a viewer click.

Pair as many steps as you like by chaining "With / After the previous step" — Walnut renders the whole run without asking the viewer to click.

Create a paired step​

  1. In the editor, open the guide step you want to pair.
  2. Open its Display trigger setting.
  3. Pick With the previous step to show them together, or After the previous step to auto‑advance without a click.
  4. Save.

Numbered indicators in the sidebar still count one step per viewer click, so a paired pair shares a number — the sidebar reflects what the viewer will actually experience, not the raw list of authored steps.

When to use each trigger​

  • With the previous step — two callouts on the same screen that belong to the same moment (e.g., "This is the search bar" + "Try typing 'invoice'").
  • After the previous step — a short reveal you want the viewer to see without touching anything (e.g., a hint that appears a beat after the first annotation lands).
  • On click — everything else. Keep the default when the viewer's click is part of the story.

Playback​

  • Paired steps enter the canvas at the same time (or in sequence for "After"); the viewer sees both together.
  • The next viewer click advances past the whole paired run to the following step.
  • Restart‑from‑step and step deep‑links still land on the first step of the pair.

FAQs​

Can the first step of a pair itself be paired? Yes — chain "With / After the previous step" across as many rows as you like. The chain ends at the first step that keeps the default On click trigger.

Do paired steps count against my step count in analytics? Every authored step is still counted as a step in analytics — pairing changes only how they play, not how they are recorded.

Does zoom effect work on paired steps? Yes. Each step keeps its own zoom setting; if both steps zoom, the canvas holds the shared zoom for the whole pair.

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